SRIKAKULAM: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday said that the various irrigation projects under construction in the district at an estimated cost of Rs 4,100 crore would be completed in the next two years. Addressing a gathering at Bontu village after laying the foundation stone of a lift-irrigation scheme at Rangasagaram tank, to come up at an estimated cost of Rs 180.32 crore, he said that the proposed lift-irrigation scheme would irrigate 11,700 acres in the Saravakota mandal, besides supplying drinking water to 67 villages.
He also said that the scheme was planned to store water up to 0.1 tmcft. Taking the local needs into account, he granted another Rs 10 crore to enhance the water storage up to 1 tmcft.The phase two of stage two of the Vamsadhara project, at a cost of Rs 450 crore, interlinking of the Nagavali and the Vamsadhara rivers, at a cost of Rs 50 crore, modernisation of Thotapalli project, at a cost of Rs 150 crore, offshore reservoir on the Mahendra Tanya river at Palasa, at a cost of Rs 350 crore, Neredi barrage at Neredi, at a cost of Rs 400 crore and other projects would be ready in the next two years, under any circumstances, he said.
On the appeal of the local people, Naidu granted a PHC at Bontu and promised to develop it and adjacent tribal villages as a tourism hub. He also made it clear that there would be no increase in power and RTC bus charges in the near future. Individual water taps will be made available to all households in the district in the next one year, he said.
The TDP victory in the next election would be necessary to complete the ongoing projects, he said. He also said that the Opposition leader YS Jaganmohan Reddy was joining hands with the BJP. Commenting on the remarks made by the AP BJP chief Kanna Laxminarayana that Jagan was the only leader, who had been striving for special category status since the beginning, the CM said that the person, who was almost ready to join the YSRCP, was selected to head the State BJP unit at the last minute. He also said the YSRCP and the BJP were playing out dramas to expose themselves as the best. At the end of the programme, the chief minister distributed bank linkage loans worth Rs 50 crore and Rs 370 crore under the Pasupu-Kumkuma scheme.
Projects that CM said will be completed in two years
The phase two of stage two of the Vamsadhara project, at a cost of Rs 450 crore
Interlinking of the Nagavali and the Vamsadhara rivers, at a cost of Rs 50 crore
Modernisation of Thotapalli project, at a cost of Rs 150 crore
Offshore reservoir on the Mahendra Tanya river at Palasa, at a cost of Rs 350 crore